How to pronounce “competence”
Say “competence” in 3 beats
competence
/ˈkɑmpətɪns/
The voice you hear here is American; the British form is /kɒmpɪtəns/ (see the table below), and a British voice is available in the app's settings.
- kɑmkɑmstress
- pəpə
- tɪnstɪns
- IPA (American)
- /ˈkɑmpətɪns/
- IPA (British)
- /kɒmpɪtəns/
- Respelling
- KAHM-puh-tins
- Syllables
- 3 — KⱭM-pə-tɪns
- Stress
- Stress the first syllable: KⱭM-pə-tɪns. “kɑm” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
- Part of speech
- noun
- Difficulty
- Pro — the sounds are ordinary, the rhythm is where it slips
American and British are not the same here
/ˈkɑmpətɪns/
/kɒmpɪtəns/
No audio here: sayit’s voice is American, so a British button would play the American word. Read the transcription instead.
What “competence” means
- noun
the quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually
Say it in a sentence
“Nobody doubts his competence; they doubt his patience.”“competence”, answered
How do you pronounce “competence”?
“competence” is pronounced /ˈkɑmpətɪns/ (KAHM-puh-tins) in American English and /kɒmpɪtəns/ in British English — 3 syllables, stressed on “kɑm”. Build it as KⱭM-pə-tɪns, then run the first syllable a little longer than the rest and let the others reduce.
How many syllables does “competence” have?
3: kɑm · pə · tɪns. The beat lands on the first, “kɑm”.
Is “competence” said differently in British English?
Yes. American English says /ˈkɑmpətɪns/ (KAHM-puh-tins); British English says /kɒmpɪtəns/. Both are correct — choose the accent you are learning and stay inside it.
What does “competence” mean?
As a noun: the quality of being adequately or well qualified physically and intellectually For example: “Nobody doubts his competence; they doubt his patience.”
Where is the stress in “competence”?
Stress the first syllable: KⱭM-pə-tɪns. “kɑm” is longer, louder and a step higher; the other syllables fall away from it.
Now say “competence” and see every sound
Record it once and sayit lines your audio up against the target sound by sound — what landed, what slipped, and what it sounded like instead.